If we Christians were to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with the same energy with which the ungodly push their gospel of eternal death, there’d be no stopping the gospel.
This 1980 hymn, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was composed by Nomi Batya Ginsberg–at the age of 13.
Think about that!
And let’s start our day with Chris Tomlin doing the Lord’s work, How Great is Our God. If you don’t think God’s Spirit is there, think again.
This poor old world needs a lot more of this, a lot more–and we, God’s people, ought to be providing it. Keep silence no more: proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ Our Savior and Our King.
Our esteemed colleague “Jessicafischerqueen” posted this video on my chess page the other day–In the Presence of the Lord, by Eric Clapton and Stevie Winwood, here performed in Hyde Park, London, in 1969.
Do listen to the lyrics: “I have finally found a way to live/In the presence of the Lord.”
I take a dim view of Christian musicians–or Christian writers, for that matter–who try to get by with cheap imitations of someone or something that enjoys a worldly popularity. But that’s not what’s happening here. Clapton and Winwood were top of the line, in the rock world, and didn’t have to imitate anybody.
Ordinarily I don’t much care for rock. But I do care for claiming ground in our culture for Jesus Christ, and doing whatever we can to prepare hearts to receive Him. So I stand up and cheer when I see it. Do you?
Just to get our hearts in the right place–and our heads!–in spite of the impending presidential election, Baruch Ha Ba B’shem Adonai–in English, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord–sung by Paul Wilbur, from Jerusalem: suggested by Erlene.
Today’s worship song, suggested by Erlene: In His Time, sung back Jack Searle and the Maranatha Singers. This rendition is from 1980.
Remember, everybody, the hymn shop is always open. If there’s a favorite hymn or piece of worship music that you’d like to see posted here, just let me know.
When you think of Times Square, New York City, you don’t usually think of thousands of Christians praising God. I’ll bet the Devil hates it when that happens.
Requested by Susan, here’s Matt Redman performing 10,000 Reasons–live from Times Square.
Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant
My wife thinks my taste in music has changed. Can’t blame her–haven’t I always said, “If I see an electric guitar, I’m outta here”? My idea of a hymn was people in a church singing to a piano or an organ–period.
But since I’ve been posting hymns here every day, and taking readers’ requests, I’ve found to my surprise that some of the new stuff is really, really good! It moves me. It can stir my soul. And the lyrics–in the songs I like, at least–are soundly Biblical, and grounded in Christian tradition. After all, once upon a time, songs by Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and Fanny Crosby–well, they were “that new stuff,” once upon a time.
I think the contemporary song that broke the ice for me was Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet by Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant, by way of Psalm 114. And since then I’ve encountered many that are just as good.
It shouldn’t have surprised me. Aren’t I trying to do kind of the same thing? I’m writing fantasy novels intended to give glory to God, to make my readers (and myself) more receptive to God’s Word as given in the Bible, and to claim cultural ground for the Kingdom of Christ, as Lewis and Tolkien did. I mean, why concede the whole fantasy genre to secular writers? Why abandon young readers to the moral vagaries of Scholastic Books et al?
These singers and musicians, and their audiences, are claiming ground for Christ within the music world, and we should all applaud them for it. Who knows how many hearts they change? How many spirits they refresh?
It’s not that I don’t still love the old stuff. I do! But lately it seems I have a bit more love to go around–and I think it’s supposed to work that way.
Before I get down into the unseemly political news of the day–if I get around to that!–let’s play the worship song that Weavingword has requested this morning: Kari Jobe, praising the Lord (and reminded us who He is and what He’s done!) with Forever. Thanks, Allison: this is wonderful, and it stirred my soul.
Why do I keep posting hymns?
Because we need ’em! Because they can help us to keep our eyes and our minds focused on what really, truly matters: the Lordship and love of Our Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever. That’s what matters. That’s what’s important.
This is the other worship song Erlene requested yesterday–He’s Enough, by Carroll Roberson.
It is with a certain amount of difficulty that I refrain from writing about electoral Weinerized politics today. So I’m going to give you an extra hymn instead.
Let’s get the bad taste of the news out of our mouths, shall we, and fix our minds on something true and good.
Suggested by Erlene, here is Carroll Roberson with Lord Take All That I Have… “for you gave it to me.”
That is true, and that is good.